Friday, January 18, 2008

The difficulty with posting on the road isn´t just the hassle of working with clunky computers I haven´t seen the likes of since college. With a lack of editing there is always the potenial that things don´t come out right. After my last post about uncle Hugo, I received several mails from people concerned about my security.

When I suggested that the FARC was intellectualy bankrupt, I did not mean to suggest they are now in the business of grabbing anyone they see with money off of the streets and holding them for ransom. Rich Colombians are a target of the FARC, foreign tourists are not. And there is a clear distinction from the FARC´s point of view. The FARC pursues persons it considers responsible parties for the political situation in Colombia. Almost all of their hostages are Colombians, and the few foreign nationals are also somehow involved in the country´s politics. The three Americans held by the FARC, for example, are likely CIA operatives, either field directors in the greater Plan Colombia, or intelligence types working to subvert the leftist groups still hiding out in the jungle.

And my lament for Chavez´ meddling was purely for Colombia´s sake. There is nothing that Hugo could do in the short term to change for me the security situation on the ground.

For the record, Colombia is and should continue to be a safe country to travel in. Now, if I told you I was heading to Caracas, well, then you could start worrying for my safety.

When I arrive to the big city this weekend, I will tell the story of François, a Frenchman (obviously) who decided to make his home in Colombia six years ago. His experiences here with the rebels will illustrate what little interest they have in foreign nationals.